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It’s a hot Chicago summer afternoon and this Jamaican-style grilled chicken and plantains hit the spot. The allspice in the barbecue sauce gave it an exotic flavor. The chicken would have been even better if it had marinated longer than 15 minutes. I served it with basmati rice.

Brush plantains with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill plantains and chicken, skin side down, 8 minutes. Turn chicken and plantains over. Grill until chicken is cooked through and plantains are tender, 8 minutes for chicken and 4 minutes for plantains. Serve plantains and chicken drizzled with remaining sauce.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

This recipe came out of a quirky little article in Food & Wine Magazine titled “A Lesson in Pairing Scents,” which pairs a floral arrangement with both a wine and a main dish. I have to admit I kind of rolled my eyes because I’m lucky to put together even a food and wine pairing (although I’m getting better.) However, I am a gardener so I do appreciate flowers and the art of arranging them. I was really excited about this dish because we are a noodle loving household, but I had no inkling how the flavors would come together. Overall we liked it, but felt the amount of red curry and sriracha overpowered the Thai basil and other flavors. I guess the heat was a little much for us, but the fresh Chinese egg noodles in it are really nice! Next time I personally would take the heat down a notch and add more pork.

Ingredients

3 medium carrots, cut into thin matchsticks

2 large lemongrass stalks, tender inner bulbs only, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

3/4 pound ground pork

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha chile sauce

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

10 ounces fresh thin egg noodles, preferably Chinese

1/2 cup chopped basil, preferably Thai

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to a plate. Reserve the carrot cooking water.

In a mini food processor, puree the lemongrass with the ginger and sugar.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden brown. Add the lemongrass mixture and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains, about 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and reduce the heat to moderate. Stir in the red curry paste, Sriracha and lime juice and turn off the heat.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the noodles until al dente; drain well. Add the noodles, carrots and carrot cooking water to the skillet and toss over moderate heat until the noodles are thoroughly coated. Add the basil, season with salt and pepper and serve.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

Ring the bell! I think this is one of the best recipes I have tried all year.The miso dressing is complex and blends superbly with the flank steak, and the salad as a whole has a wonderful interplay of textures and flavors. Here’s another delicious dish that uses a full cup of cilantro too. Great dinner for a hot summer night!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 to 1 1/4-pound flank steak

1 5-ounce container mixed baby greens

2 cups thinly sliced unpeeled Japanese or English hothouse cucumbers

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup thinly sliced green onions (4 to 5)

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, sliced

Ingredient Tip

Miso (used in the dressing for the beef and red pepper salad), a flavorful paste made from fermented soybeans, is sold at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Japanese markets. White, yellow, and red varieties are available. The beef salad calls for white, which is the mildest and the least salty. If you can’t find white miso, it’s fine to substitute yellow miso (more intense, but still mild).

Preparation

Puree 3 tablespoons oil and next 4 ingredients in blender until smooth. Season dressing with salt. Transfer 2 tablespoons dressing to small bowl; reserve for steak. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Cook to desired doneness, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, brushing top of steak with some of reserved dressing during last minute of cooking. Transfer steak, dressing side down, to plate; brush with remaining reserved dressing. Let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice steak across grain on slight diagonal.

Place greens, cucumbers, bell pepper, cilantro, and onions in large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Divide salad among plates. Top with steak and avocado slices.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

Fresh pesto has a delightful peppery flavor. I never really understood why people got so excited about pesto until I started making it fresh many years ago. I now actively seek out fresh basil at farmers markets, and freeze the excess pesto in ice cube trays for future use.

I used to work off of William Sonoma’s pesto recipe, but now find that my version has become a new recipe in itself. Today I tried it making it with newly harvested garlic from my garden, and decided to skip using the customary pine nuts altogether. I was quite pleased with the result. Once you get the hang of making pesto, you probably won’t need a recipe at all. It is not an exact science so adjust the ingredients to taste. Because this recipe uses a food processor, there is not need to hand grate the parmesan cheese. However, one note of caution: Chop the parmesan into small pieces or you may burn out the motor on your food processor!

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups basil (packed)

4 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 ounces parmesan cheese (1 small block), chopped into small pieces

1/3 cup pine nuts (optional)

kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until blended. Adjust any of the above ingredients to taste.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to consider: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

If you enjoyed this post, we would love to hear from you! Your feedback in the comments section below is essential to the success of this blog. -Michael

I never met a potato I didn’t like. Summer entertaining is a joy knowing that basics like potato salad will please your guests. When I read the description of this recipe I knew it would be a winner. “Drizzling sweet pickle juice over the warm potatoes is the secret to this delicious salad.” I’m a fan of sweet pickles, and this potato salad opts for buttermilk rather than vinegar to give it a little acidity. I used Yukon Gold rather than red-skinned potatoes. Give it a blue ribbon. I would definitely make it again.

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup juices from jar of sweet pickles

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup buttermilk

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles

Preparation

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain; transfer to large bowl. Drizzle pickle juices over potatoes and toss gently. Cool to room temperature.

Whisk mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, sugar, and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Pour over potatoes. Add eggs, onion, celery, and pickles and toss gently to blend. Season to taste with salt. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

Fresh sour cherries are available at farmers markets for about two weeks starting around the end of June and this is my go to recipe for cherry cobbler. Cherries are my favorite fruit in desserts no doubt due to my fond memories of my Grandma Beyer’s cherry pie. I have been making this dessert for over 5 years now. I bake the cobbler in an 8″ x 8″ baking dish.

Ingredients

4 cups sour cherries, picked over, rinsed, and drained well

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

vanilla ice cream as an accompaniment if desired

Preparation

Working over a bowl pit the cherries, discarding the pits and reserving the cherries and any juices in the bowl, and into the cherries stir the cornstarch, 2/3 cups of the sugar, the lemon juice, and almond extract. In a small bowl stir together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and the butter, blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, and stir in 1/4 cup boiling water, stirring until the batter is just combined. In an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or flameproof baking dish bring the cherry mixture to a boil, drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto it, and bake the cobbler in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden. Serve the cobbler with the ice cream.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

I had high anticipations for this sauce and it delivered. It has a nice peanut flavor with just a little kick. I did encounter a minor problem though. The sauce would not emulsify so I gave it a whirl in my mini food processor and that did the trick. We tried it on two versions of grilled satays, steak (above) and chicken (below), with threaded skewers of cubed meat, red onion, and sliced yellow squash and zucchini. We generously brushed the satays with the sauce during grilling and served it on the side as well.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to review: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

This recipe appeared in the “R.S.V.P./readers’ favorite restaurant recipes” section of Bon Appétit this month and it comes from Tejas Texas Grill & Saloon in Hermantown, Minnesota. It could have just as easily been in the popular “fast easy fresh” column. I love pesto so I was enticed to try it. It seemed like more of a tequila-cilantro-lime sauce than a pesto to me. The sauce is quite piquant and is nicely balanced out by the feta cheese, and is not a bad excuse to purchase a bottle of tequila!

Ingredients
4 servings

1 ¼ cups (packed) fresh cilantro leaves plus ¼ cup chopped

¼ cup (scant) chopped green onions

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño chile

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound linguine

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

3 tablespoons tequila

¼ cup crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese

Preparation

Blend 1 ¼ cups cilantro leaves and next 4 ingredients in processor until coarse puree forms. With machine running, gradually add ½ cup oil. Season generously with salt. Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until almost opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; add tequila. Return skillet to heat and stir until sauce is syrupy, about 30 seconds. Add pesto; stir to coat. Remove from heat.

Add pasta to sauce in skillet; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta and shrimp among 4 plates. Sprinkle Cotija cheese and chopped cilantro over and serve. Adapted from Tejas Texas Grill & Saloon.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to consider: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

If you enjoyed this post, we would love to hear from you! Your feedback in the comments section below is essential to the success of this blog. -Michael